1. Field of Invention
This application is directed to a tow bar assembly for use in towing a motor vehicle from a towing vehicle and more particularly to a tow bar assembly that establishes universal movement between a towing vehicle, such as a motor home, and a towed vehicle, such as a car. The tow bar assembly is designed to be positioned between a conventional hitch receiver of a towing vehicle and may incorporate an adjustable double arm attachment for attachment to base plates secured to a towed vehicle.
2. Brief Description of the Related Art
Numerous towing devices have been created for facilitating the connection of a towing vehicle to another vehicle. In particular, in the field of motor homes or recreational vehicles, it is often desired to pull a smaller vehicle from the motor home so that the smaller and more fuel efficient vehicle may be used for local travel after arriving at a primary destination. With conventional towing devices, a hitch receiver is mounted to the towing vehicle, such as a motor home, and a storable hitch bar assembly is used to connect a vehicle to be towed to the hitch receiver.
To facilitate the storing of conventional towing devices, components of the devices were designed to be readily folded for compact storage when not in use. Further, to permit relative movement between a towing vehicle and a towed vehicle while establishing a safe and balanced connection between the two vehicles, many conventional towing devices have a pair of arms with outer free ends that are designed to be clamped to the towed vehicle in such a manner that the connection is created at a pair of spaced points relative to the towed vehicle so that the stresses created on the frame of the towed vehicle are distributed on opposite sides of a central elongated axis of the vehicle. The arms are conventionally pivotally connected to a bracket so as to be movable in a horizontal plane so that the arms may be spread apart relative to one another when being mounted to a towed vehicle and may be selectively pivoted together for compact storage.
Early towing devices were designed such that there was limited motion established between a towing vehicle and a towed vehicle. Without allowing for relative motion or movement between two vehicles, tremendous stresses are created on the hitch assemblies or towing devices which stresses often lead to failures of the devices. When a towed vehicle accidentally separates from a towing vehicle, the results are not only the possible damage or destruction of at least the towed vehicle but the possible injury or death to others in the area of the vehicles. Apart from the possible results of damage to property or injury to people, if the components of a towing device are not relatively movable, it is very difficult to establish a proper towing connection between two vehicles, especially if they are not initially properly aligned with one another.
To reduce the risks of possible damage to property or injury to people, many current towing devices have been designed to permit relative motion of the components of the towing devices to be established relative to and between a towing vehicle and a towed vehicle. Such more recent towing devices have also been design to be adjustable in two or more planes so as to facilitate the connection between a towing vehicle and a towed vehicle. Often, vehicles are not aligned vertically, horizontally or laterally relative to one another when being connected to a towing device. If a towing or hitch device is adjustable in three planes, a proper connection may be established between a towing vehicle and a towed vehicle regardless of their relative positions with respect to one another.
One of the problems associated with towing devices that permit generally universal adjustment of one or more towing arms relative to a towed vehicles is that the components of such devices are often complex and thus expensive to manufacture and difficult to install and maintain. Also, current conventional towing devices which create universal adjustment between two vehicles, are defined by three horizontally spaced pivot axes, one axis allowing motion within a horizontal plane, another allowing motion in a vertical plane and the last allowing rotational motion about an elongated axis of the hitch receiver of the towing vehicle. The spacing of the points of pivotal motion not only increases the cost of manufacture but also increases the length of the overall towing device. The more elongated a towing device is, the less rigid it becomes and the resistance to stress along the length of the device is reduced.
In view of the foregoing, there is a need to develop a towing device that is universally adjustable to both facilitate the initial connection of a towing vehicle to a towed vehicle and thereafter to permit relative movement, in three planes, between the two vehicles when they are connected with one another. By allowing relative movement in three planes between a towing vehicle and a towed vehicle, most of the load on the towing device is directed along the length thereof which results in a balanced force being directed to the towing vehicle making handling of the towing vehicle much easier and safer.